As a photographer, I have shot a LOT of weddings and have seen a lot of things. Some traditional and some not-so-traditional. This one, of the supernatural variety, falls squarely in the not-so-traditional column. The following is a REAL, BONEa-fide wedding between two genuine, very in-love, spooky spirits. Let’s begin.
Brenda, the bride.
My friends and favorite restaurateurs, Janessa and Chuck of Acorn & the Oak, have a haunt named Brenda.
Not much is known about Brenda. It’s guessed that in life, she was either a regular barfly at the old Lakeside Chalet or a server there. Who knows. Acorn & the Oak’s Front of House team gave Brenda her name in 2021, and she gained physical form via a gold plastic skeleton from Target during the Halloween season of 2022. The team requested that the skeleton stay out after Halloween, so today, she oversees the bar area 365 days a year from her throne/barstool, confusing customers and continuing to mess with the team while they clean up after closing. Acorn’s florists adorn her skull with seasonal flower crowns as offerings.
Unlike most of her poltergeist friends, Brenda is a friendly spirit, if not a bit of a jokester. She haunts with glee, preferring to mess with people rather than scare them. Her favorite pastimes include knocking pictures off the wall in the bar restroom while somebody is on the toilet, exploding candles, messing with the electrical in the bar area (especially the hanging lights over the bar), opening & closing doors when nobody’s near them, and making the glassware on the hanging rack suddenly tinkle in unison in an incredibly eerie manner.
Boney, the groom.
Less is known about the dashing groom, Boney Matrimony. There are doubts about whether that is his actual birth name, but that’s neither here nor there. A self-proclaimed romantic and drifter, he spent his days in life and death hitchhiking up & down the West Coast, from Baja to BC. Throughout his afterlife, he’s picked up odd jobs on Cryptslist — routine hauntings, seasonal work as Halloween decor, and the occasional acting job.
Cue the meet cute.
Carlos & Marissa (a beautiful, still very much alive couple) met Boney at a horror movie festival in Portland, and they hit it off immediately. They hired him on-site for their wedding at Acorn & the Oak to take part in their getaway “just married” photos. Little did Boney know he would meet the love of his afterlife.
When Boney and Brenda met, they couldn’t take their eye sockets off each other and their cadaverous pallor. They fell hip over femur in love and were dead set on being together. A fan of creative, themed shoots for the living and the recently deceased, I jumped at the chance to capture this frightful occasion.
Boney & Brenda were married at Acorn & the Oak on September 26th in a hauntingly beautiful woodland ceremony with stunning decor and floral arrangements from the A&O team. After their swinging wake, Boney and Brenda indulged in a steamy couple’s boudoir. I’ll let the photos do the talking. Click here to view the full gallery.
You’re next.
I love getting creative with my clients to capture one-of-a-kind moments. If shooting a wedding for two plastic skeletons didn’t make it clear, whatever you want to capture, I’m your gal. Have something fun in mind? Drop me a line or send up a spell.
